Pond and Water Garden Animal Care Guide
Plant Care | Animal Care
How to Care for your Pond Pets and Visitors
Fish are an important part of a healthy pond. Not only do they supply carbon dioxide and nutrients in the form of waste for your pond plants, they also eat mosquito larva. Although even a small pond can support many fish, it is best to start with only a few and see how things go. A few cheap goldfish will let you know if your pond is ready for more.
Most pond owners select goldish or Koi which look like large goldfish. My son also brought home some small minnows which we placed in the pond. A few of these small fish have survived the winter, bred and thrived. We now have many of these small guys darting around the pond. Many people treat their pond fish as true pets and give them names. Koi are known to have destinct personalities and many goldfish will let you pet them!
Having less fish in your pond makes it easier to maintain a healthy ecosystem. If you're a fish lover, a general rule is 1 goldfish per square foot of water surface and 1 Koi for every 10 square feet of water surface. I don't feed my fish as they seem to be fine dining on bugs and plants. If you do feed, make sure all the food is gone in a few minutes and that you don't feed above 90 degrees or below 50 degrees. The water ph level should be between 6.6 and 8.4 with no ammonia or nitrites. Keep pesticides and fertilizers away from your water.Plant Care | Animal Care
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